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A vanity award is an award in which the recipient purchases the award and/or marketing services to give the false appearance of a legitimate honor. Pitches for ''
Who's Who ''Who's Who'' (or ''Who is Who'') is the title of a number of reference publications, generally containing concise biography, biographical information on the prominent people of a country. The title has been adopted as an expression meaning a gr ...
''-type publications (see
vanity press A vanity press or vanity publisher, sometimes also subsidy publisher, is a publishing house where anyone can pay to have a book published.. The term "vanity press" is often used pejoratively, implying that an author who uses such a service is publ ...
), biographies or nominations for awards or special memberships can have a catch to them in which the honoree is required to pay for recognition.


Vanity book awards

The vanity award phenomenon among
book award A literary award or literary prize is an award presented in recognition of a particularly lauded literary piece or body of work. It is normally presented to an author. Organizations Most literary awards come with a corresponding award ceremony. ...
s was noted in a ''
Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...
'' article by
Laura Miller Laura Miller (born November 18, 1958) is an American journalist and politician who served as the 58th mayor of Dallas, Texas from 2002 through 2007. She decided not to run for re-election in 2007. She was the third woman to serve as mayor of Da ...
in 2009. Vanity book awards are characterized by dozens (or more) of categories to ensure that most applicants are winners or finalists. Other characteristics include high entry fees, or fees for other services such as trophies, prominent display on the award website; or promises of marketing.
Self-published author Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to written media, such as books and magazines, either as an ebook or as a physical copy using POD (pr ...
s seeking promotion and recognition are commonly customers of vanity award services.


List of vanity book awards

The following have been called vanity awards. * The 2009 National "Best Books" Awards given by USA Book News - In the ''
Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...
'' article "Vanity book awards" by
Laura Miller Laura Miller (born November 18, 1958) is an American journalist and politician who served as the 58th mayor of Dallas, Texas from 2002 through 2007. She decided not to run for re-election in 2007. She was the third woman to serve as mayor of Da ...
, The 2009 National "Best Books" Awards is identified as a Los Angeles contest run by the marketing company JPX Media. According to Miller, every winner or finalist (i.e. everyone who enters and pays the $69 fee) receives stickers to put on their book covers and "aggressive marketing" from JPX Media. * The 2010 Creative Spirit Awards were made available to film makers, musicians, and writers for an entry fee of $50 in hundreds of categories. Other awards targeting self-published authors with high entry fees, with for-profit business models and numerous categories and promises of marketing include the Readers Favorite Awards, and the IndieReader Discovery Awards.


Anthology schemes

The anthology scheme is when a writing contest is announced with the winners to be published in an anthology and a cash prize is awarded. There may be no entry fee, but in. some cases there is little selectivity, and successful entries may be offered publication, with a request for money. Furthermore, the anthology is often not sold to the public but only in limited runs to the contributors themselves. The International Library of Poetry, known online as Poetry.com, is an example of this kinds of scheme. Another version of the scheme is called "pay to play" in which the writer must pay to be included in the anthology.


Vanity business awards

The number of vanity awards for businesses is considerable, since 2008 the
Better Business Bureau Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a private, 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization founded in 1912. BBB's self-described mission is to focus on advancing marketplace trust, consisting of 97 independently incorporated local BBB organizations in the Unit ...
has been issuing warnings about schemes found across the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. "Phony vanity awards prey on small businesses who are trying to make their companies stand out in their industry." For instance, The Best of Business Award by the Small Business Commerce Association is available for $57 to $157 depending if the applicant would like a plaque or a trophy. The
Better Business Bureau Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a private, 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization founded in 1912. BBB's self-described mission is to focus on advancing marketplace trust, consisting of 97 independently incorporated local BBB organizations in the Unit ...
reports the same scheme under multiple variants of a common name in multiple cities, targeting businesses in hundreds of categories, so "Peoria Award Program", "Memphis Award Program", and "Lafayette Awards Program" are the same operation. The solicitation, which claims to be an award from "Kelly McCartney, Award Committee", is a message in which only the year, town and line of business change: :''I am pleased to announce that (Company) has been selected as a winner of the Best of (Town) Awards in the (line of business) category by the (Town) Award Program committee.'' :''Our selection of your company is a reflection of the hard work of not only yourself, but of many people that have supported your business and contributed to the subsequent success of your organization. Congratulations on joining such an elite group of small businesses.'' :''In recognition of your achievement, we offer a variety of ways for you to help promote your business. You automatically receive the complimentary digital award image from this email and a copy of the press release publicizing the selection of (Company) which is posted on our website. The (Town) Award Program hereby grants (Company) a nonexclusive, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, distribute, and display this press release and the digital award image in any media formats and through any media channels. :''Additionally, as a winner of the Best of (Town) Awards selection, you may select a customized award which has been designed for display at your place of business by following the simple steps on the Best of (Town) Awards order form.'' The telephone number is linked to multiple consumer complaints about undesired solicitations; the associated website (which offers the mark an opportunity to purchase a plaque, a crystal award or both at a cost ranging from $80 to $200) is alleged to contain malware. Nonetheless, businesses continue to issue press releases boasting of having received these awards despite their questionable provenance and meaninglessly broad selection of large numbers of cities and categories.


List of vanity business awards

There are studies on vanity business awards showing that a significant wealth has been acquired by the companies organizing lucrative ceremonies and giving out well-decorated trophies not based on merit, but rather to whoever pays the cost. The
Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) is a global network of investigative journalists with staff on six continents. It was founded in 2006 and specializes in organized crime and corruption. It publishes its stories through ...
(OCCRP) and other news organizations have reported the following as trophy-for-sale organizations: * Actualidad Magazine, Madrid, Spain * Global Trade Leaders' Club (GTLC) *
Otherways Management Association Club Otherways Management Association Club (OMAC) is a Paris-based organisation selling what the Center for Investigative Reporting and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) have called "meaningless international awards", and are ...
(OMAC) * The
Europe Business Assembly The Europe Business Assembly (EBA) is an Oxford-based organisation selling what ''The Times'' has called "fake awards", or what are more widely known as "vanity awards". The awards, which include "The International Socrates Award" and "The Queen ...
(EBA), Oxford, United Kingdom * The Business Initiative Directions (BID), Madrid, Spain * The European Society for Quality Research (ESQR), Lausanne, Switzerland Other awarding schemes, as reported by various businesses on the internet: * Acquisition International (owned by
AI Global Media A.I. Global Media Limited (AI) is a British organiser of a range of vanity awards and publisher of online magazines. The winners of these awards are invited to purchase publicity in the company's online magazines, and other marketing material suc ...
AI Global Media brands page (old url)
''ai-globalmedia.com''. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
AI Global Media brands page (new url)
''ai-globalmedia.com''. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
), United Kingdom *
Better Business Bureau Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a private, 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization founded in 1912. BBB's self-described mission is to focus on advancing marketplace trust, consisting of 97 independently incorporated local BBB organizations in the Unit ...
A+ Ratings, United States and Canada * Build News (owned by AI Global Media), United Kingdom * TMT News (owned by AI Global Media), United Kingdom * Wealth & Finance International (owned by AI Global Media), United Kingdom * Corporate Vision (owned by AI Global Media), United Kingdom


Fee for review

A "fee for review" is when money, merchandise or a service is exchanged in return for a review. Since an exchange is involved, the neutrality and accuracy of the review could be in question. Reviews could be written by marketers/retailers about their own work, by customers with some incentive such as a friend or family or receiving free merchandise or money, or the reviewer was simply hired as a third-party service specializing in providing reviews for a fee. An example of a hired service is Foreword Reviews' Clarion Reviews, which was launched in 2001 and claims to be "the industry's first and most trusted fee-for-review service for indie and self-publishers." Other fee-for review programs include ''
Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...
'' Indie Review program and ''
City Book Review A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
'', publisher of the ''San Francisco Book Review'', ''
Manhattan Book Review Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
'', ''
Seattle Book Review Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region of ...
'' and '' Kids' BookBuzz''.


See also

* Académie Parisienne des Inventeurs


References

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